Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. again showed that he indeed has a temper when he reportedly nearly struck with his fist a news photographer covering his out-of-town campaign sortie in President Arroyo’s hometown of Lubao, Pampanga Thursday.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident took place shortly after lunch at the Lubao public market when Poe’s left hand was accidentally struck by the tip of Reuters chief photographer Erik de Castro’s second camera lens. Reuters is the world’s largest news agency.
Poe had been standing in the cargo bay of a pickup truck and his hands were on the bull-bars of the vehicle, which was stalled when placard-bearing supporters of the President blockaded the opposition motorcade.
Poe was busy answering questions from journalists on the ground when De Castro saw him against a backdrop of the President’s supporters.
De Castro and other photographers scrambled onto the pickup for the photo opportunity when his camera lens hit Poe’s left hand.
An angry Poe raised his left hand in a clenched fist close to De Castro’s face and made eye contact with the photographer — who apologized profusely — before withdrawing his fist.
Sen. Vicente Sotto III, who was reportedly aboard the pickup with Poe, prevailed upon Poe not to hit De Castro, saying "’Wag boss, ’wag boss (Don’t, boss, don’t, boss)" as bodyguards asked the photographers to get off the truck.
Agence France Press chief photographer Romeo Gacad, who was among the photographers who scrambled aboard the pickup truck, said he witnessed the incident. According to Gacad, Poe had already seemed irritated by the crowd when the incident happened.
"But, I understand him, because being hit by the tip of a lens like that could be painful," Gacad said.
The laconic Poe, whose fans eagerly await the flurry of punches he inflicts on the head and body of movie villains, reportedly had to cool off by pacing around the pickup truck’s cargo bay.
Sought for comment, Sotto said he did not recall any such incident, saying it could be part of a disinformation campaign against Poe.
He said he recalls telling the bodyguards not to block people from approaching Poe, even if the opposition presidential candidate’s hands were sore from the thousand handshakes and pinches he has had to endure on the campaign trail.
Sotto said Poe has to constantly put iodine-based antiseptic on his hands to stave off infections.
He also said the KNP has acquired a machine that he said is being used by the administration to spread text messages damaging to Poe to thousands of cellular phones simultaneously.
KNP vice-presidential bet Loren Legarda also dismissed the incident, saying the issue has been blown out of proportion by the media, which she said should focus instead on issues like corruption in government.
To emphasize her point, Legarda showed numerous bruises on her arms caused by the pinching and squeezing of supporters as she campaigned by Poe’s side.
"What kind of issue is that? Temper? That’s not an issue," she said. Poe, she said, "is very cool. He even makes jokes while on the campaign trail."
She, however, said the advice given by deposed President Joseph Estrada for Poe to "stay cool" is "good advice."
During Legarda’s birthday celebration at the Century Park hotel in Manila last Jan. 28, Poe also lashed out at reporters who persisted in asking questions that annoyed him.